putnam



c; s. PUTNAM. Vulcanizing Caofltchouc.

Patented Feb. 15, 1859.

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UNETED $TATE PATENT (EFFEQE.

C. S. PUTNAM, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

'VULCANIZING GAOUTCI-IOUC.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 22,976, dated February 15, 1859.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARK S. PUTNAM, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a Steam Apparatus for Vulcanizing or Hardening India-Rubber, Gutta- Percha, Vegetable Gums, and other Materials Susceptible of Being Hardened by Steam, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the drawings hereto annexed and making part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a vertical section of the apparatus; Fig. 2 is a plan of thetop of the heater, and Fig. 3 is a plan 'of the top of the boiler.

To enable any one of ordinary skill to work my said invention I will particularly describe its construction and the mode of operating it, as follows:

A is a retort shaped boiler sustained by flanges a or otherwise on the top of a stove or furnace X; B, the vulcanizing chest attached to the boiler; C, the pipe for admitting steam into B and D the pipe conducting the water from the chest to the bottom of the boiler A.

c and d are stop valves.

E is a cock to be used as occasion requires for letting the steam out of the chest.

F is a pocket thermometer.

G is a condensing chamber connected with B by the pipes HI.

J is a valve over the mouth of H;'K, a lever sustaining an adjustable weight L; M, a valve in pipe I and N represents any device to act upon and regulate the heat under the boiler.

The object in view is to simplify the construction of an apparatus by making it of a portable, compact form and adapting its size to the articles to be vulcanized and to save room trouble and expense by dispensing with the pump and its gearing, while the process is also rendered more regular and certain and can be perfected in less time than is .now required by the ordinary mode.

The apparatus is thus operated :-.'1hrough a door in B the articles to be hardened are introduced and arranged and the door is closed steam tight. When the steam is ready to be admitted the valves are opened, a first to admit the steam and then cl to conduct into the boiler the water of the condensed steam from the chest in order that the latter may be kept as dry as practicable. The temperature rising to the-required point indicated by the thermometer, is there maintained the proper length of time. By previous experiment it is known at what point on the lever K, the weight L must be placed to keep down the valve J to resist the pressure of the steam in the chest affording the requisite temperature. When this is exceeded, the valve overcoming the weight admits the steam into the condenser G so long as the pressure continues. Here the steam may be condensed by cold water applied externally or by some other convenient mode, when the valve will close. Whenever the pressure in B and G are equal, the valve M is to open by its own weight and thewater in the condenser will pass through I into B and with the water also collected in B will pass down through D to the bottom of the boiler to be reconverted. Thus the same water either as steam or Water is always in circulation, none of it is lost and consequently no additional supply by a pump is required during the continuance of the process. By means of the condensing chamber and its pipes and valves the temperature is regulated with exactness. In many cases this part of the-apparatus is dispensed with entirely substituting therefor any simple mode of operating a safety valve. The articles having been steamed as long as required, the valve (Z is first and then 0 is closedthe steam in the chest let olf through E, the articles removed and replaced by others, the lost water is replenished and the process is repeated.

The boiler and chest (and chamber when used) may be of any shape or size most convenient for the purpose, but they must be located in respect to each other so as to enable the pipes to communicate with them and operate in the manner substantially as described.

The advantages possessed by my invention are adaptability from its compactness for small laboratoriesability to do the work at less expense and in shorter time than with the usual apparatus-non-employment of the force pump and its driving power-selfsubstantially in the manner described, the

circulation and self regulation. same constituting a portable, automatic aplVhat I claim and desire to secure by Letparatus for the purposes specified.

ters Patent is CLARK S. PUTNAM.

The combination of the boiler A, the vulcanizing chest, B, and the condensing chamber G, constructed, arranged and operating Witnesses J OI-IN S. HoLLiNGsHnAD, JOHN W. RANKIN. 

